Multitemporal changes in habitat, perception and threats on the opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) in the upper sector of Los Chorros in Santiago de Cali, Colombia

Abstract

An assessment of the multitemporal changes in habitat, perception and threats to the possum was carried out (Didelphis marsupialis) for the community settled between race 67 and street 2 West with race 69 - Street 3b west of the Alto de Los Chorros sector of Commune 18 of the city of Santiago de Cali. The multitemporal changes in the plant cover of the study area were determined in the years 1961, 1986, 1998, 2001, 2007, 2012 and 2020; the forest coverage was quantified from images of Google Earth and aerial photographs of the Corporacion Autonoma Regional del Valle del Cauca (CVC). Where the percentage of vegetation coverage and the number of hectares in each time period were determined, through the ArcMap program. In general, there was a decrease in leafy vegetation cover, but an increase in shrub and tree strata in 2001 and 2020.Through interviews, multi-temporal changes were identified in the perception of the inhabitants of the sector about the possum between 1960 and 2020. The interviews also identified the threats to which the possum is exposed, including abuse, mistreatment, loss of habitat and human consumption.